the grinch: @krystophyr while your argument is logical, and you are right about somethings (even the devil is scripturally correct sometimes), you like evryone else are trimming leaves and not uprooting the tree of the matter...

Some simple facts you all are ignoring are:
1) The bible was written to christians, not just everyone

2) While Nigeria (and the world at large) has a large church-going population, a very small minority of this number are christians

3) God doesn't expect you as a church-goer to tithe, he expects that only from his children

Question is: Are you a child of God?

If your answer is in the affirmative, then your spirit, (and not your head or your reasoning) will bear witness to the truth of tithing.

But if you still find yourself logically contesting what rule your father has over you as a child...

Then we can safely assume that you have not been saved by the blood of Jesus.

Goodluck with psycho-anylyzing the scriptures... The last time I checked, it only leaves a gaping hole of unfullfillment and a void and insatiable yearning in the hearts of it 'practisers'

Grinch, I have addressed #1 in my reply to your previous comment.
Indeed, I totally agree with you about many of these things you have said. And yes, nothing is really mine. My life ain't mine. However, I have not been instructed to tithe.

If you call studying and trying to understand Scriptures without swallowing age-old unscriptural teachings psychoanalyzing, then I plead guilty. If you call sharing of what truths I have learnt from Scriptures so someone may benefit psychoanalyzing, then I plead guilty.

the grinch: @krystophyr while your argument is logical, and you are right about somethings (even the devil is scripturally correct sometimes), you like evryone else are trimming leaves and not uprooting the tree of the matter...

Some simple facts you all are ignoring are:
1) The bible was written to christians, not just everyone

2) While Nigeria (and the world at large) has a large church-going population, a very small minority of this number are christians

3) God doesn't expect you as a church-goer to tithe, he expects that only from his children

Question is: Are you a child of God?

If your answer is in the affirmative, then your spirit, (and not your head or your reasoning) will bear witness to the truth of tithing.

But if you still find yourself logically contesting what rule your father has over you as a child...

Then we can safely assume that you have not been saved by the blood of Jesus.

Goodluck with psycho-anylyzing the scriptures... The last time I checked, it only leaves a gaping hole of unfullfillment and a void and insatiable yearning in the hearts of it 'practisers'

Grinch, I have addressed #1 in my reply to your previous comment.
Indeed, I totally agree with you about many of these things you have said. And yes, nothing is really mine. My life ain't mine. However, I have not been instructed to tithe.

If you call studying and trying to understand Scriptures without swallowing age-old unscriptural teachings psychoanalyzing, then I plead guilty. If you call sharing of what truths I have learnt from Scriptures so someone may benefit psychoanalyzing, then I pleas guilty.

the grinch: I can see that there are a lot of educated illiterates in this place.

I will not be baited into should you tithe or not. Is it for christians or is it just for old testament folks, etc

Any sincere person knows that ALL of the scripture is for the christian, and only unscrupulous elements will contest the truth: if you don't pay your tithe to God, you'll pay it someway, somehow, and to someone, somewhere. Difference is that: you won't have a say in how 'they' collect it and how much 'they' collect. But you can be sure it will be more than 10 percent.

Now I'll answer the question with another question:

Should you child eat food in your own house, and go to the neighbours house and wash their plates?

Did you say 'why should he?' Then why should you pay your tithe to another church or a poor passerby, or any other person for that matter, if you're not a thief and a robber, an ungrateful and spiteful child.

Have they not laboured over you in anyway in that church? So if they sow spiritual things to you, is it wrong that they reap carnal things from you?

Have a change of heart today and Tithe right.

Grinch, If I am the educated illiterate, I frankly am not offended, but please calling people names could make them disregard any sound argument you present thereafter.
I think you already have been baited into it. Hehehehehe. Welcome. I don't think it's wrong. You might share something some of us have not known. Not everyone may agree though with all you say.
As for scripture being for only Christians, how then will unbelievers be Christians? Scriptures also contain how unbelievers may become Christians, and is written to more than a particular group of people.
These things you have said, e.g., about washing plates... sowing spiritually.... are quite acceptable, but they also apply to giving in general. That part about sowing to the ministers in carnal things was never mentioned in connection with tithes. So, how can it be linked to it so readily?

Another discussion on tithing. Well, I think some people may still learn from it like I have. We don't know it all. And the matter still affects many today. Though, I wish discussions about faith, helping others, internet fraud, etc could also be on fire. Hehehehehe.
I am okay with the fact that not everybody will agree with what I am about to say. I only need one person to agree.
1. I hope the anti-tithers don't crucify those who tithe. If you really have rev/rhema from scriptures, then please you should also know that you are to correct in love. If tithing is indeed wrong.
2. I hope we realise that tithing (or the absence of tithing) is not the beginning and ending of Christianity. So, at the day's end, we don't need to take it bloody-personally, especially if/when we don't take other issues of God that seriously.
3. For the tithers, please pardon my mentioning your pastor, but if your pastor should preach another gospel besides Christ, will you follow? Because some of us seem to hold our pastors' words as law without checking if they are scriptural or not. Whilst I believe some Christians have "deeper" rev of Scriptures, I do remember Paul not seeing himself as law, but says he should be followed only as he followed Christ. So, if he stopped following Christ, how will they know he stopped if they themselves didn't know zilch/nothing about Christ.
4. Commenters before me have mentioned the parts of the Old Testament that speak about tithing, and I think some of us should agree with me that we don't even practise tithing as it was commanded, we don't practise other similar practices in the old testament (and please note that not only tithing has curses attached, because the books of the laws had curses attached.) So, be afraid if you have not offered any sacrifices in a while.
5. When Jesus said he didn't come to destroy the laws and the prophets, did he mean that an eye for an eye still held, or that we should make peace offerings, or that a woman menstruating should be temporarily shunned, or that we should give tithes of our farm produce?
6. I am just curious why Jesus or the disciples did not pay tithe at least from this same Bible we read. Or, when the church was starting, the apostles did not speak of tithing. I would assume something that causes so much wahala today would have been mentioned a bit. Offerings were collected as people willed for purposes. No mention of tithing. If we are so desperate to wanna tie God down and force him to bless us, why not do that with our simple faith in his care for us/our welfare and our freewill offerings knowing that he owns all?

I think we have to choose if the issues simply explained in the scriptures are enough for us or we just wanna attach complicated meanings to the Bible always. And this means the gospel of a God who became man (not just carrying on human skin) and died as a sinner only to rise again and save us from the sins we still commit today is something very complex too and we need someone to explain it to us even after we are saved. Pardon the sarcasm, but if we regard tithing or salvation or faith as something for only the great men of God to understand, then maybe we are not even saved, and what will we say to more-coded issues of the end-of-the-world (eschatology) and the Antichrist?